Cultivate RDU | Second Home Support Network

Come join us for a day of learning, growing, and fun at The Cultivate Conference! The Cultivate conference is focused on equipping foster, adoptive, and kinship parents with local speakers and recourses. It will feature inspiring speakers such as a Wake County Judge, professionals in the field, and former foster and adoptee voices. There will also be opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals in the community. Whether you're a seasoned parent or just starting out, there's something for everyone at The Cultivate Conference.

Keynote Speaker

Judge Ashleigh Parker is a District Court Judge in the 10th Judicial District, which encompasses Wake County. Prior to her appointment by Governor Roy Cooper in 2017, Judge Parker served the citizens of North Carolina as an Assistant Attorney General at the North Carolina Department of Justice and as an Assistant District Attorney at the Wake County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Parker graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wake Forest University and cum laude from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She has been practicing law since she was 24 years old. At age 30, Judge Parker was only the 3rd and youngest African American female to hold this position in Wake County since the District Courts were established over 50 years ago.

Judge Parker serves as the lead Child Support Judge in Wake County and one of two Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Judges. Judge Parker is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and lives in Raleigh with her 2 boys, Isaac and Isaiah. For more information about Judge Parker you can visit her website at www.JudgeAshleigh.com

Featured Speakers

Michelle Wingate

Michelle is a mom of 6, 4 of her children came to her through foster care and adoption. Michelle and her husband, Chase, have been foster parents for over 5 years, serving over 20 children in multiple capacities.

Michelle studied Human Development at Azusa Pacific University and completed her Masters in Family Studies at Texas Woman’s University. Michelle is passionate about supporting youth with complex unmet needs, and those who love and care for them. She currently serves as the Learning Ambassador for Omni Family Institute.

Bill Rose

Bill was placed in a group home at the age of 9, and was eventually adopted by his forever family just after his 16th birthday. After graduating high school, he enrolled at Lee University in Cleveland TN, where he played basketball and spent his weekends traveling and sharing his story at over 200 group homes and youth groups across the southeast.

Bill currently serves on the Executive Board of the Falcon Children’s Home, and is also the founder/lead pastor of Oasis Church in Holly Springs, NC. Bill lives in Holly Springs with his wife, Jennifer and three children, Aubrey (16), Elijah (5), and Levi (2). He is a passionate speaker and excited to share his story and experiences with our foster care community.

Trent Taylor

Trent entered foster care at the age of four due to domestic violence, extreme neglect, and sexual abuse. After traveling a painful journey through the foster care system, Trent was adopted at the age of nine and came to dramatic levels of healing from his traumatic past. Trent, now 23 years old, has devoted his life to helping others find healing. Trent is a mentor and public speaker and has authored and published two books. Trent recently graduated from Arizona State University with a 4.0 GPA with a B.S. in Family and Human Development. Trent serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Watch Me Rise in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Trent is a trauma consultant and serves as a TBRI Practitioner, Life Coach, mentor, and parent trainer. However, his favorite part of his job is working one-on-one with children and youth to provide hope for healing. Trent gives all the glory to God for his healing and strives to be a light in the darkness.

Charlotte Elder

Charlotte Elder began her journey in the foster care/adoption world as a bilingual early childhood mental health and trauma therapist at UCLA in California. After seeing how many young children were placed with aging caregivers, she moved back home to the East Coast and began her fostering journey in 2012 at the age of 30, fostering over 54 children (birth to 18), eventually adopting 3 children in 2018. Between 2007 and 2016 she combined her academic and personal experiences to provide consultation and support all over the world: college students in the US, parents and providers in Egypt, and direct care orphanage staff in Nicaragua and Honduras. When her own child was diagnosed with special needs in 2016, she shifted her focus to navigating special needs as a parental caregiver instead of a provider. Since 2018 she has continued to support other foster/adoptive/special needs families by hosting support groups and/or directly mentoring parents in the community. In 2023 she moved permanently to Durham and has since enjoyed presenting and engaging with caregivers at different conferences across the country.